MT: Can you tell us a little about your personal background?
MB: I grew up in Bolton and started learning guitar, encouraged by my dad, who played country and western and had some pretty eclectic records: Los Paraguayos and flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya, to name two. I read about something called the Royal College of Music, wrote to them, got an audition and moved to London to study. This was my first exposure to the arts, culture and orchestral instruments, and it changed the course of my life.
MT: How did the platform come about?
MB: After graduating and spending 10 years as a professional musician and teacher, I hooked up with one of my oldest school friends, Paul Fletcher, who, by then, was a computer scientist and educational technology expert. We felt strongly that integrating technology into aspects of music teaching and learning could help more people achieve their musical ambitions. So, in the mid- to late-90s, we built an early form of Charanga 0n the growing popularity of CD-ROMs. We enjoyed success in the UK and US and learned a lot about business along the way! Around 2005, burgeoning internet and broadband allowed us to develop our approach into an online service and create something significantly more flexible and valuable for formal education settings. This was the start of Charanga as you might recognise it today: a cloud-based platform supporting early-stage instrumental teaching across all instruments and music teaching in the classroom.
MT: Where did the name Charanga come from?
MB: Charanga band was a kind of music I was particularly fond of in my playing days, probably linked to listening to my dad's records as a child. As a word with a slightly onomatopoeic ring, it felt like a great name for a music company.
MT: How did the platform develop into what it is today?
MB: As usage of our platform gained momentum, we got lots of support from our music service partners in the form of content, ideas and advice. More and more schools started to get familiar with Charanga as they saw visiting teachers using it for whole-class instrumental lessons. They asked us to do something similar for their classroom music curriculum delivery needs – and things grew from there. Even at the early stages, we built in the ability for teachers to create their own lessons, courses and schemes rather than having to rely on what we gave them. Today, we provide another level of customisation for our music service, hub, MAT and government partners. When we collaborate with an organisation or national government, as we do in Wales, we can create a bespoke version of the platform that they can tailor to their needs: culture, curricula or strategic priorities, and language. Ultimately, it's good to remember that Charanga does not do any teaching; it's only as good as the teacher using it. So when someone tells us it's brilliant, that's great, but it just means they're a brilliant teacher.
MT: Did you face any challenges along the way?
MB: Where to begin?! We were early with our idea. When we first started taking the Charanga platform idea and initial versions to music services and schools, many teachers weren't used to using technology in their everyday lives, never mind their professional work. Things have, of course, moved on, with technology helping to reduce teachers' workload, increase accessibility and inclusion, improve student outcomes and so on.
MT: Do you have any exciting plans in the pipeline?
MB: We have some exciting plans for our partnership with the RSNO [see News, p. 6] that you'll start to see in summer 2024. Beyond that, the release of our new app will enable teachers to use Charanga online or online. The creative projects we've released around our YuStudio DAW have also prompted a flood of interest, and we'll be adding more music and film units to the series.
MT: What do you enjoy about exhibiting at the Expo?
MB: The Music & Drama Education Expo is a little different from other events on the calendar, bringing together our partners, numerous brands, colleagues and educators. We take pride in ensuring the responsibility of teaching music is a rewarding experience, so understanding what works well for delegates and the challenges they face is invaluable. It helps shape the technology, resources, CPD and training we offer our teaching community and partners, allowing more young people to thrive in music.
You can find Charanga at stand B58 on 22 & 23 February 2024 at the Music & Drama Education Expo at The Business Design Centre, London. Book your FREE ticket and view the full exhibitor list and programme at musicanddramaeducationexpo.co.uk
